1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a sleeve for protecting the splices of cables and especially telephone cables.
The invention is also directed to a method for protecting the splice of a cable and especially a telephone cable by means of the protective sleeve aforesaid.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Sleeves of known types for protecting telephone cable splices are disclosed in particular in French patent No. 2,469,782, in French Certificates of Addition Nos. 2,479,545, 2,492,151, 2,529,707 and 2,541,528. These protective sleeves comprise two half-shells which are intended to be placed around the cable and assembled together along their longitudinal edges, each half-shell being formed in one piece.
The opposite ends of the sleeve have jaws for radially clamping and axially retaining the two cable ends which have been joined together by splicing. Means are provided in addition for forming a tight seal between the two half-shells and between the cable ends and the jaws.
The sleeves described in the French patent, Certificates of Addition and patent Applications cited above provide the cable splices with effective protection against mechanical shocks and moisture. However, sleeves of this type are subject to a disadvantage as will now be explained.
After an initial operation which consists in forming a splice between the two cable ends, the two connected ends of the cable are then placed in the first half-shell, whereupon the second half-shell is fixed on the first half-shell. To this end, it is essential to form the splice by maintaining the two cable ends in a temporary support which is separate from the sleeve and serves to fix the two cable ends in spaced relation at a predetermined distance from each other.
This operation is both time-consuming and tedious since it is often performed under conditions of limited comfort. Furthermore, this operation does not permit very accurate positioning of the two cable ends with respect to each other.
Moreover, it is then necessary to place sealing means such as jaws and sealing strips on the two cable ends which have previously been joined together.
A further drawback lies in the fact that the cable is difficult to handle since the cable ends have previously been joined together, with the result that positioning of the cable within the protective sleeve is also a difficult operation. In consequence, there inevitably remains a potential danger of faulty positioning of the cable which may lead to deficiencies in fluid-tightness.
The aim of the present invention is to overcome the disadvantages mentioned in the foregoing by providing a protective sleeve which permits very easy positioning of the cable ends within said sleeve while avoiding any risk of defective sealing as mentioned in connection with known designs.